Minced beef hash

When I was at uni I always said that if I were to write a cookbook it would be 101 ways with mince. At the start of each term, mum and I would go to the butchers and buy 2lb of minced beef which we'd portion up in freezer bags for me to use. I was lucky to go to university with slightly more than a working knowledge of the kitchen. Unlike one of my flatmates in the first year who genuinely survived on beans on toast - with beans and sausages on toast for highdays and holidays. No word of a lie. Every day.

Many of the recipes I use then, I still use now - with some tweaks thanks to either additional equipment (God bless the food processor) or my own changing tastes (no more dried garlic). One that I never made at university was minced beef hash - I actually made a tuna hash with red pepper which I keep threatening myself with revisiting.

I saw the origin of this recipe on a Jamie Oliver programme, and scrawled down the ingredients and a kind of method a couple of years ago. I've since then kept to the rough idea of it, but changed it up fairly significantly.

Minced beef hash - by me (with some help from Mr Oliver)
Serves 4

4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
500g minced beef
4 sticks celery
4 carrots
250g chestnut mushrooms
1 red onion
Worcestershire sauce
Salt
Pepper
2 small baking potatoes (I work to half a potato per person I'm feeding and have been known to double this when money is tight and there are extra people around the table).
Olive oil

First off, use a food processor or knife to thinly slice the celery, carrots, mushrooms and onion and set aside
Now brown your mince in a little olive oil in a non stick pan
Add the thyme, rosemary and a good grind or 12 of pepper
Add the veggies and stir well so it's all mixed up
Add the Worcestershire sauce - about 6 tablespoons (you'll notice we've not added salt so far - this is why)
Now using the food processor or knife, thinly slice the potatoes - add these into your pan
Put a lid on and let it simmer for 30 minutes or until everything has cooked down

Now this can be served so many ways - it's already got potatoes so you don't need an extra carbohydrate, but it goes epically well with garlic bread. Or so I'm told. Ahem.

The other way I cook this is exactly the same, but instead of adding sliced potatoes - bake up a potato per person in the oven and then after an hour or so, remove the potato. Split in half and take out the cooked middle. Mix this with the cooked minced beef, and pile it back it, topped with grated cheese. Heat through for about 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and crispy. Epic. The mince goes a lot further this way so this much ends up serving 8. 

 

Meal Planning Monday: Begone January blues

I'm being a lazy blogger at the moment - as I'm sure you've noticed. It's not that I'm neglecting the blog. Far from it. I have several posts in draft that I keep coming back to, but nothing that's made me want to hit the publish button. I'm blaming it on the January blues, which means there's hope for this week as February is coming bounding over the horizon. 

I'm hoping that the snow going will help me to get remotivated with my running, as I've been a bit too afeard of breaking something to face the chill. No matter how pretty it is, I don't think my trainers would tackle the snow and ice lightly. Last night's rain seems to have put paid to the last lingering patches of slush and ice, so depending on when I get home today will warrant a run. 

M's working in Derby for a lot of this week, and I'm bounding around the country too. This makes for a dynamic week for us both and makes meal planning tricky. 

Breakfasts: I've actually got into eggs over the last couple of weeks, in place of my usual porridge. I'm finding that poached eggs on toast seems to keep me going for longer than porridge does. Which is odd as I always thought of porridge as the healthy choice.

Lunches: Last week's chicken got turned into a shredded chicken soup - so I'll be defrosting that, adding some rice noodles and shredded spring greens to make chicken noodle soup. 

Dinners: This is where this week gets tricky - who's going to be home at any one point in time? Who knows?

Sunday: Sausage pasta bake (this one, that I should have made last week!) 

Monday: Leftovers

Tuesday: Minced beef hash (but with pork mince as that's what I've got in the freezer)

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Working away, so I will treat myself as I do each month, to a meal from the little Chinese restaurant that's close to the B&B I use for work. It does a fixed price menu but with tapas sized dishes so I can pick a few things without feeling piggy. Although the sugar content is probably sky high!

Friday: We're off to Guide holiday - Harry Potter here we come! We're deciding the menu tomorrow, so I'll do a midweek Harry Potter post and then follow up with a picture post after the weekend. 

I'll try to remember to link up this week - but be sure to pop on over to At home with Mrs M to see what everyone's up to. 

Meal planning monday: the cold, stressed edition

It's cold, wet and quickly darkening outside. I'm cold, stressed and grumpy. What better situation to put together this week's meal plan? Really, no need to answer, that was rhetorical.

I don't know if it's the weather, or trying to combine keeping our home lovely, clean, calm and restful with busy lives. Who knows? What I do know is that if work continues to be busy and life continues to be chaotic I'm going to be thinking about a cleaner. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I really am beginning to consider it. 

Anyway, back to usual. It's another busy week, work, training, running, Guides, Brownies and then the annual Remembrance sleepover next weekend. M and I should get to catch up on Wednesday, but otherwise it's ships that pass in the night!

Breakfasts: so, as winter has finally taken hold, it's definitely porridge. I'm going to stew some blueberries to go on top. I try to have one of the Sainsbury's bags of frozen fruit in the freezer as they make for such convenient ways to add in extra fruit

Lunches: Definitely soup. Soup all the way. Salads and sarnies are a no go from this point onwards until - let's say June?

Dinners, always the interesting bit of these posts

Monday: I was hoping to have leftover Minced beef hash, but I only had half a pack of minced beef so at the moment I don't think it'll stretch. Mind you M's at Welsh so if I get a potato to bake it may well. Watch this space. 

Tuesday: I'm at Guides, so I'm going to get out some chorizo, butternut squash and cannelini bean chilli out of the freezer for M to have with rice. 

Wednesday: Seeing as it's our only night in together this week I should make something lovely - I was thinking of putting a casserole in the slow cooker to have when we get in.

Thursday: hopefully there'll be leftover casserole! 

Friday: M's going up to his parents, and I'm going to be getting ready for the Guide sleepover. I've got some undyed smoked haddock in the freezer, and I think I'll poach that in milk with bay and peppercorns, and have it with peas and some bread and butter. 

So that's it... a quick week in the pantry - the next few weeks are going to be non stop. I'm hoping M and I will do better than one night together in seven as we go on! Be sure to pop over to At Home with Mrs M to see what all the other meal planners are up to. 

Meal Planning Monday: a week for M

So it's that time of the week. Again. Last week was lovely, hugely busy and I spent it dosed up on meds for sinusitis which was delightful, but it really was a good one. Guides was fabulous, the girls got a thank you letter from Buckingham Palace for their Jubilee cards, I spent an afternoon with my sister and my nephew and then she ran a session on Deaf awareness with the Brownies, while I failed to cure Noah of his hiccups. Bad Aunty Penny. M and I went out for dinner on Friday night, and blitzed the housework on Wednesday. So between all that, training for four days, plus the addition of runs on alternate days, I'm not sure where the week went. I also forgot to link this post up last week, but looking at that little lot - it's no surprise. 

This weekend M's been away at Brands Hatch watching the Touring cars (I think it's the final race(s) of the season, but don't quote me on that). Motor racing was a huge part of my childhood, and although I mostly dismiss it these days, it still has a fond place in my heart. Memories of watching races with my Dad while he was poorly, of playing on grassy banks while the grown ups talked cars all have their place, but nothing would make me want to spend a weekend in the wet watching cars zoom around the circuit. After all, I can spend a weekend in the wet drinking tea, eating cake and s'mores and watching 34 young women create havoc on camp! 

This week I'm away for much of it - off to sunny(?) shores on Monday, and back Thursday evening. I can't complain too much as I've only had one other night away this month. Annoyingly it means I'll miss a run on Wednesday, but what can you do? Complaining isn't going to help. So this meal plan is for M - our individual approaches to food are very different, it's fuel to him - allows him to keep on going, doing the things he wants to do. For me, well having a food blog makes it no surprise but for me its about love, about comfort, about joy. It's a way to relax, to rest my brain, to succeed.  

Breakfasts: cereal, toast and tea

Lunches: ham sandwiches, crisps, cheese, cereal bar, banana, piece of cake

Dinners: 

Monday: (at Welsh but if you're back in time) Sweet & sour chicken - it's in the fridge defrosting - with rice. There's yoghurt for pudding

Tuesday: Tortellini with a tomatoey pasta sauce

Wednesday: leftovers of above

Thursday: Chicken and barley soup (frozen from last week) with bread and cheese

Friday: Depending on my day and the weather, possibly minced beef hash (it's a Jamie recipe from 30 minute meals I think)

Saturday: we're at a party in the evening, so soup and sandwiches for lunch. Excitingly I've discovered a fab bakery near us that makes their own sourdough. Hurrah!

Sunday: Slow roast pork I think. I haven't done that since we moved in. If I can get a decent size piece of pork, I'll invite my sister and her family too. 

So that's our week, well M's mainly. For him, it's simple straightforward, cook and go meals. And you know what? There's nothing in the slightest wrong with that. 

I'm going to try to remember to link this up with Mrs M tomorrow, so be sure to hop around the blogs and see what everyone else is up to. 

Meal Planning Monday: another freezer based week

Will it surprise you, dear reader, if I tell you that last week didn't clear down the freezer? I didn't think so. So, another week of clearing down the freezers. Not thrilling I'm afraid.

But there is good news. I am without plastercast. After five months of incapacitation, my wrist is healed. Sadly I have the early stages of a pressure sore which was what alerted me to the need for the cast to come off last week. An acute sense of burning in a place about the size of a 50 pence peice. Alarming, but I have to say Barnet really did step up. Although they frustrate me at times, they did step up. Physio starts in a fortnight or so, and in the meantime in case I started to miss them I have another set of nerve blocker injections in the back of my head on Monday. Hurrah!

Initially I thought this weekend would involve much rolling out, kneading, and general kitchen activities that involve an unplastered wrist. And then it struck me just how much pain an unplastered, newly healed wrist can cause. So, in place of that I sat. Watched trashy telly. Slept. Generally broke the mould and gave my mind and body some extra time and space in which to heal. Which meant that this morning I practically bounced from my bed, wished M a good morning and promptly started work. At half past 7. I know.

The blue skies (albeit freezing outside) are trying to convince me that a run is imminent, and depending on how my nerve blockers go, I may try one later. At present I'm sorting out Diplomas and drinking coffee.

So, this week - M's mum (she of the WI and marmalade & jam coaching) has sent us back half a sultana and cherry cake which is my favourite, and some welshcakes. Which is a bonus as it relieves me of baking duties for the time being. That said, following the purchase and demolition of an epic sourdough from Barnet farmers market I think I'm going to kick start myself a sourdough starter this week.

Breakfast wise, I thought I'd try the Sainsbury's frozen fruit bags, they're 3 for £5 and I got peaches, blueberries and mixed summer fruits. I'm a big fan of a lot of Sainsburys basics range and although a bit more pricey than I would have liked I thought I'd try making these into smoothies with my 0% fat greek yoghurt. I've got some sachets of ground linseed etc that I think would make good additions as well. Any suggestions for other things to add to a breakfast smoothie?

Lunches: well the early morning has given me a kick in the right direction and I've got a pan of Lifechanging soup (TM), that is to say Skye Gyngell's Sweet Potato and ginger which I haven't made for far too long. I've got a little sourdough left to have with, and may make up some soda bread in rolls for the rest of the week.

Dinner: Largely freezer roulette again...

Monday: Bolognaise sauce, with grated cheese and pasta for Mark, just with steamed veggies for me.

Tuesday: Minced beef hash, with a poached egg on top

Wednesday: I'm out Leith's cookery school for the evening, so will be leaving M lentil ragu with chorizo I thing

Thursday: M is at Welsh, so probably his leftover lentil ragu for me

Friday: As yet I'm undecided, we're both in and the freezer will be mainly empty by then.... I've got some chicken and leeks in the freezer so I might make up some more of the butternut squash, chicken and leek casserole I've made previously. It's a simple really warming dish and the addition of barley makes it stretch further quite cheaply.

I do have some unearmarked courgettes in the fridge from last week's veg box, and I'm torn between courgetti spaghetti, and doing something different with them... Any suggestions?

Do be sure to pop over and see what everyone else is up to At home with Mrs M

Meal Planning Monday: Are we nearly there yet?

It's that time of week again, I'm currently cwtched under my camp blanket, staring out at hammering rain and wishing that spring would, well, spring already. I want to want to eat the salady items that are starting to permeate my veg box, I want to be able to go out walking and running again, to enjoy the opportunity for a potter. But, what can you do - spring will spring when it's good and ready.

Over the las week or so, I've not done too well on the cooking/ eating front. It's nice to be flexible, but  just don't feel inspired. That said, I had a lovely pink day in the kitchen yesterday stewing some beautifully rosy early rhubarb that I picked up at the market, and then making some blood orange curd (I have another batch to do but have run out of eggs annoyingly).

I also finally got around to making the salted caramel & pecan brownies that I've been meaning to try for ages. The recipe came from Rachel at Baking Brownies for Mozart, as her brownie cups were one of my swaps at Let's make Christmas, which although in itself a distant memory - recreating those brownies has been playing on my mind ever since. A good friend of mine Kat (of the epic photography skills at my sister's Hen Party), taste tested them for me, and they were definitely a success.

So next week - what does this have in store?  Health wise, I'm still headachey on and off, but managing work well actually. I'm still going for easy food as my energy levels are still low. Ideally I'd be starting the week with the fridge slightly better prepared but I have a plate of picky bits ready for any dining emergencies.

Breakfasts: Porridge still (the only upside to the continuing weather) with the rhubarb I stewed.

Lunches: I wanted to make some soup yesterday, but the plastercast hindered my abilities to chop up the squash that was intended for said soup. I will be cornering M this afternoon and bribing him with brownies to do it for me. Hopefully then I can commandeer half of it for a lovely thick soup with ginger and chilli. If not, I've made a lovely batch of homemade houmous and randomly for me, am really enjoying seeded Ryvita thins, salad and crudites with it.

Dinner - I'm cooking a huge shoulder of pork today for dinner with M's parents and am hoping leftovers will be enough for Monday and Tuesday. I'll try to take the pictures as I'm using the same guidelines as I did here.

Monday: Leftover roast pork, with vegetables

Tuesday: Either leftover leftovers - maybe in a pitta bread or shredded into some steamed veggies.

Wednesday: Chicken, butternut squash and barley casserole (on the proviso that M chops up said squash)

Thursday: Fingers crossed for aforementioned soup and soda bread

Friday: I can't remember what or where we're up to next weekend so I think we'll have the leftovers from the minced meat hash I made this weekend - as if we've got no plans I'd like to pop and see my Mum I think. I think topped with a poached egg and a a good dollop of ketchup it should be better second time around.

Well that's the Pantry - what about you? What're you up to this week? Be sure to head over to At Home with Mrs M for more meal inspiration